The 18.5 Billion Won Winning Ticket the Customer Didn't Buy: "It's Mine" Lottery Ownership Battle in Court

Unpaid lottery tickets... employee buys them after confirming win
Ownership dispute between employee and company

A legal battle has erupted in Arizona in the United States over lottery winnings of about 18.5 billion won. A customer left behind lottery tickets without buying them, and a convenience-store employee checked the winning numbers and then purchased the tickets, which has now escalated into an ownership dispute.

A lottery ticket a customer left unpaid won a KRW 18.5 billion jackpot, and the convenience store manager who bought it and the company are embroiled in a legal dispute over ownership. AZ Paemilli

On February 22 (local time), the New York Post reported that "a convenience-store manager in Arizona purchased lottery tickets worth 12.8 million dollars (18,520,320,000 won) that had been left on the counter, and both the employee and the company are claiming ownership."

According to the report, convenience-store employee Robert Gaulicha was working on November 24 last year when a customer asked him to re-purchase numbers for "The Pick" drawing scheduled for that evening. According to the complaint filed with the Maricopa County Superior Court, the employee printed 85 one-dollar tickets, but the customer paid for only 60 dollars' worth and left the remaining 25 tickets on the counter before leaving the store.

The tickets remained at the store until the next morning. Later, Gaulicha learned that a winning lottery ticket had been sold at his store, checked the leftover tickets, and discovered the winning ticket. The winning numbers were 3, 13, 14, 15, 19, and 26.

After finishing his shift, Gaulicha took off his uniform and paid another employee 10 dollars to purchase the remaining tickets. The winning ticket was among them.

In its complaint against Gaulicha and the Arizona Lottery, the convenience-store operator cited Arizona administrative law, which stipulates that a retailer has property rights over lottery tickets that a customer leaves behind without paying for.

However, rather than directly asserting ownership of the lottery itself, the store is said to have asked the court to rule on the conflicting claims of the two sides.

A spokesperson for the Arizona Lottery told local Arizona outlet AZ Family, "This is a very unusual situation," adding, "We are not aware of any similar lawsuits involving the Arizona Lottery."

The convenience-store management has decided to keep the ticket at headquarters until the court issues its ruling.

This 12.8 million dollar jackpot is the fourth-largest "The Pick" prize ever sold in Arizona and the largest since 2019.

The claimant must request payment of the prize by May 23 of this year, which is 180 days from the drawing date. According to the Arizona Lottery, retailers in the state receive a 6.5% commission on lottery sales. In addition, for in-state draw games including The Pick, any business that sells a first-prize winning ticket worth 1 million dollars (1,446,600,000 won) or more is eligible for a 10,000 dollar (14,466,000 won) incentive.